Farm Pond Management

The importance of farm ponds is underestimated by many people including those who own farm ponds. For years farm ponds have been used for livestock watering and irrigation, but farm ponds are much more than that. Farm ponds can help support wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, improve watershed health, increase property values, and provide a place for recreational activities like fishing.

Farm ponds are habitats for many wildlife species whose environments are being destroyed. The type of plants and animals that thrive in and around ponds are some of the smallest, but most important in our eco-system. They are the start of the food chain and when these animals’ habitats start to disappear so do they. The smallest form of plant life in a pond is known as algae. One of the smallest organisms in a pond are zooplankton. Many invertebrates such as snails, worms, and crayfish feed off of zooplankton. So when one part of the eco-system is off it can affect the entire system.

While we recognize that the algae and other plant life is important to the eco-system of a farm pond it still has to be managed. Excessive algae growth can choke a pond of other essential growth. Another common problem in a farm pond is invasive species. These plants grow quickly and spread so easily that they will over-take other important vegetation. Our products strive to achieve pond growth management not swimming pool management. Growth is an important and essential part of a healthy eco-system, but it has to be managed.

Sanco’s pond dyes and pond bacteria are great maintenance products; they help to slow down rampant pond growth. Pond dye and pond bacteria should be applied approximately once per month. Once growth starts (usually in the hottest months) you will need to use pond algaecides and pond herbicides to control or manage the growth. Along with managing growth you should minimize fertilizer run-off. There are several way to achieve this. First, keep livestock from defecating in the pond. Provide livestock only limited access or pump water from the pond to water tanks for livestock watering. Another way to minimize fertilizer run-off is to allow a 10 foot area of grass to grow taller around the entire pond. This taller grass will act as a filtration system from uphill run-off.

For more information on farm pond management contact the experts at Sanco Industries